A cinéma vérité examination of the most vulnerable people on the front lines of the Russo-Ukrainian War and the brave volunteers risking everything to evacuate them to safety. The film weaves together two parallel narratives: one follows a volunteer evacuation team in Eastern Ukraine, led by the young and remarkably stoic volunteer, while the other depicts the wartime daily lives and surprising friendship of two elderly women who chose to remain in their homes in the now de-occupied Chernihiv region.

-- Dir. Ivan Sautkin - 86min 2024 - Ukraine, Lithuania, UK --

"Such moments of decision – to stay in the place one loves and knows; or to leave, shutting the door for the last time, turning the key in the lock, abandoning every familiar and beloved thing – these were momentous junctions in the lives of those filmed by the Ukrainian documentary maker" - Guardian

"a cinematic poem about courage and resistance during wartime....A vivid reminder that small acts can often accomplish great things" - CPH:DOX

"gives a voice to individuals and their wartime experiences while achieving a poetic form of expression" - Film Fest Munchen

"Directed with stillness and compassion....It really hits home the depth of the impact of the war on ordinary lives" - Love London Love Culture